"You've really made a name for yourself around these parts," Sabrina mentioned, gazing down at the long line of food in front of her. "Ya' know, losing all that weight so quick. It's astonishing."
Even though Logan had been eyeing the thick burgers below, once Sabrina spoke, he stopped to look at her.
"Sorry, not to say you were inadequate or anything before! I think you were perfectly fine the way you wer, you're just becoming quite the infamous figure." Logan found it cute the way she shook her head, misinterpreting his silence as irritation.
His cheeks blushed a little bit. "Crazy how news spreads that fast, though. It's only been a couple hours since I got to school."
"Haha, I totally get where you're coming from. But, you know, you've always been famous, though for a different reason before..." Wallowing in the silence, Sabrina looked at Logan with a smile as bright as the morning star. "But no matter, it's still great news! That means that you might finally be able to actualize that dream of yours!"
"That's right..." Though Logan didn't convey it, he was happy that she remembered. He offhandedly mentioned his dream of joining the Spirit Executioners ages ago, yet, she was so quick to bring it up now. "Say, Sabrina, why are you being so nice to me?"
She took a step back. "What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. Look around you. The way the students are looking at us—at me. They detest me, and that detestation may spread to you if we're seen together too often. Also, your boyfriend doesn't like me."
That wasn't the only thing Logan noticed. There were whispers too. Some students voiced their concerns over Sabrina hanging out with a student in F class, others worried for if she was being held in duress.
"Come on, silly. You think I care about that? The students here care about social class too much." Playfully, she flicked Logan's nose. "And don't worry about Zach or his friends. They aren't at school today."
Logan's back went stiff as a board. With all of his being, he withheld the awkward groan punching his throat.
"Say, once you get your lunch, why don't you come sit with me and my friends?" she asked, holding her hand out in front of her. At first, Logan didn't know whether she actually wanted him to hold it, but once she nudged it in his direction, he took her up on it.
"Sure," he responded, voice warm with affection as their hands bounced in the air.
Afterwards, it was only a matter of picking out food to eat. The school didn't officially discriminate against students based off of which class they were in, but he did catch some awkward glances from the staff as they scanned his ID, some utterances of his name even making waves in the kitchen in the back.
Still, it didn't matter to him. This moment was golden, since it was shared with Sabrina.
"A burger, fries, and a box of apple juice? Jeez, I would strike you as a kid if we weren't friends."
'Friends?' Logan repeated to himself, trying his hardest not to fluster at her words. Instead, he buried his face in his shoulder.
"Hey, careful where you drop your weight!" a voice howled, coming from just beneath his collar.
"What was that?" Sabrina asked, slowing her gait to pay attention to Logan. "Did you say something?"
"Nothing at all! Don't worry!" Clumsily scratching his scalp, Logan took the time to swat his collarbone for the unwanted presence when Sabrina wasn't looking. "Sabrina, could you give me a second? I need to use the restroom."
Smiling, Sabrina stopped in her tracks. "Of course." Then, pointing to one of the round tables ahead, she gestured to a crowd of waving hands. "When you get out, come around to our table. My friends are real warm—I know they'll grow on you."
Nodding, Logan ran off in the opposite direction until Sabrina was just barely out of sight. Quickly, he dove below one of the unoccupied tables covered by a white sheet—much to the major discomfort of the people surrounding him.
"What the hell are you doing here, Succubus? No, rather, how are you here? You were fast asleep on my bed when I left for school."
Despite the space beneath the table being dark, her eyes glowed in the dark with all the purple brilliance that they possessed last night. "Come on, Logan, do you really not remember the full terms of the contract?"
Logan furrowed his brows in confusion. "What?"
"No matter, I suppose you don't really need to know about it right now." Grunting, she pushed back against his hand. "And could you please unhand me? Things were already really cramped under your shirt."
"No, not until you promise to settle down and contain yourself. This is why I didn't bring you with me to school."
"Aw~ but it's always so amusing, making fun of you and your naivety. If I'd known you would be this boring when I met you, I never would've offered the contract."
"Quit teasing, you know the contract was made out of necessity. Our relationship is purely transactional." With great frustration, Logan slowly lowered the Succubus to the ground, waiting for her to get to your feet. "I mean, I don't even know your name, yet you know mine. How could you expect me to be fine with you getting all up in my personal life?"
The succubus' eyes widened. "Ah, I suppose you and I aren't that well acquainted. Of course, I want you to trust me, but I really don't think I can tell you my name yet. I'm sorry."
Laughing, Logan crossed his legs. "Hah, I figured, given your secretive nature. Still, I need something to call you other than 'Succubus.' It's too general, you know?" She didn't respond to his words. Instead, Logan sat still for a moment, digging his chin into his index finger and thumb as he sat in quiet contemplation. Then, with his eyes agape, he continued. "How about 'Pixel'?"
She nodded. "I like that. Where'd you get it from?"
"You're small like a pixie, and you shine like a pixel on a screen. I just thought it fit." Though Logan didn't expect it, Pixel actually began to soften her expression a bit, lowering her nose and loosening her eyes.
"Well, aren't you the philosophical one? Maybe you're not as boring as I thought."
Smiling back at her, Logan's thoughts looped back to a more serious tone. "But why are you here? You could've just stayed home—I don't see the urgency in you popping up during my school day."
Like the words had been caught just at the back of her throat, Pixel opened her mouth then stopped, stammering for the proper words. "W-well... it's just that I came to a dire realization." Looking down at the floor, her face darkened. "You see, if I'm correct, then if you don't fulfill your end of the deal and restore my body soon, then we both will die."